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RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
'It's really nasty': Toxic plants destroyed in high school competition
Aroha Chase tackles a roadside infestation in Pakaraka, in the Far North. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf A competition dreamed up by high school students and a dedicated teacher has stopped as many as 10 million seeds of a toxic pest plant spreading into the Northland environment. Kerikeri High School's Northland Moth Plant Competition , which wrapped up last month, encouraged people around the region to collect seed pods from the invasive vine , as well as pulling the plants up by the roots. Each seed pod can release up to 1000 seeds, which travel as far as 25km on the wind. Year 13 student Richard Norton, of the school's Save All Viable Environments (SAVE) group, said the fast-growing vine was a threat to native forest, but also infested shelterbelts, gardens and verges. "The vines grow up trees and smother them, which causes the plants to die, so they endanger our native species." It was hard to say which weed was Northland's worst, but moth plant was certainly a contender for the title. "It's definitely one of the worst because they grow quite quickly, and each pod has 1000 seeds in it. So they reproduce very rapidly, and can take over entire forests and cause a lot of damage," Norton said. A moth plant showing the vine's distinctive seed pods. Photo: Supplied / Hayley Bloch-Jorgensen The climbing vine, which was native to South America but introduced to New Zealand as an ornamental plant, produced small white or pink flowers, and large numbers of choko-like pods. The seeds were carried on the wind by fine, silk-like filaments, much like dandelion seeds. It was also known as kapok vine or, in Australia, as jumbo weed. It favoured frost-free parts of the country. Kerikeri High teacher Kate Crawford, who ran this year's competition, said another distinctive feature was the white sap it produced from even minor contact. "It's really nasty. The sap is quite toxic. It can be a skin irritant and if it gets in your eyes, it can actually cause blindness," she said. "And it grows really fast. I've watched some on the roadside that within one year had completely covered a tree. We had a lady contact us at the start of the competition, she'd removed 500 pods from one tree, and just didn't know what to do with them." The kids of Oromahoe School, in the Far North, with their haul of moth plant pods. Photo: Supplied / Oromahoe School Crawford said the contest had previously targeted schools, but this year it was opened up to the public. Contestants had to provide photographic evidence of the pods and vines, complete with roots, they had collected over a four-month period. They were provided with pre-paid rubbish bags because composting was not enough to kill the seeds. Norton said by the time the competition closed on July 18, the top three teams alone had collected just under 12,500 pods and vines. "It was cool. A lot of people joined and the amount of pods everyone collected was insane. Definitely a lot more than I thought." With more than 10,000 pods collected, each containing up to 1000 seeds, that was a huge dent in the plant's future spread. "That's about 10 million seeds that won't be going out there and growing into other plants anymore. So it's a lot more future moth plants that we don't have to deal with." Norton said the contest had also raised awareness of the problem plant, and he hoped it had encouraged people to continue removing the pods before they ripened. Moth Plant Competition winners Piripi King and Aroha Chase, with daughter Kalliope, 3, adopted the team name Chasing Kings. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf The winning team was Chasing Kings of Pakaraka, on State Highway 1 south of Kerikeri. Members Aroha Chase and Piripi King - and daughter Kalliope, 3 - collected a staggering 5776 pods and vines, earning them $500 cash plus native seedlings for their property. The real prize, however, was the greatly reduced number of pest vines in their area. Chase said she had spent hours every weekend battling moth plant on verges and in hedges around their neighbourhood. "I really dislike this plant, mostly because it's very invasive. It's a clever plant. If you don't fully remove it, it has the ability to regrow from really old roots. It's got a lot of pods per vine and each pod seems to have hundreds and hundreds of seeds." Chase was "very surprised" to win. "It was rather competitive but for us it was more that we were pleased with our efforts, and we were curious to know how others got on, because, after all, it's a good environmental win. We also hoped it might provide Northland Regional Council with data to support other weed control initiatives." Every moth plant pod contains up to 1000 seeds. Photo: Supplied / Hayley Bloch-Jorgensen Crawford said the competition had been sponsored by Kerikeri Rotary and the regional council, while Ngāti Rēhia's Takou Kauri Sanctuary had provided prizes and a local business had upgraded the contest website. She was convinced the contest had made a difference. "I was talking to one of the council's biosecurity officers, and he said he was gathering up pest plants to take to a school, but he was actually having trouble finding moth plants to show kids what it looked like because we'd done such a good job around Kerikeri." Crawford hoped to persuade the regional council to take over the competition next year, but vowed to keep it going if no one else would. Kerikeri also has a STAMP group - short for Society Totally Against Moth Plant - which maps and removes infestations. The group also organises occasional weeding trips to hard-to-reach but severely overgrown locations such as the islands in Kerikeri Inlet. 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Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
James Gunn And More Share Tributes For The Suicide Squad And Mad Max Stuntman Richard Norton After His Death At 75
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Many people are working on a movie set whose names most viewers will never know, but among the greatest unsung heroes has to be the stuntman. They perform some of the most important and impressive on-screen work that fans love, and yet most of us don't know their names. There isn't even an Oscar for stunt work. However, Richard Norton is one stuntman who those people who make the movies knew well, and they are remembering the legendary performer following his passing. Australian, stuntman, actor, and martial artist Richard Noton may not be a household name. Still, he's worked on many movies, you know, from '80s action classics like Gymkata and American Ninja to modern blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road and The Suicide Squad. Director James Gunn took to Twitter to sing his praises and say goodbye. Norton worked alongside some of the martial arts greats, including Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris. Norris posted his own remembrance of his friend, whom he called his brother. The pair worked together on Norris' early action movies in the '80s before reuniting later on Walker, Texas Ranger. If you are of a certain age and grew up consuming every action movie that you found at the video store or on cable, then you probably saw a lot more of Richard Norton than you realize. In addition to being a stuntman, Norton's martial arts abilities made him the perfect action movie hero or villain. He appeared opposite Robert Patrick in Patrick's second film, the post-apocalyptic actioner Equalizer 2000. Patrick remembered his old co-star, including a video from a more recent meeting. One actor who clearly knew Richard Norton is Diana Lee Inosanto. The actress is best known for playing the role of Morgan Elsbeth in the recent Star Wars series on Disney+, including The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. She's the daughter of martial artist Dan Inosanto, who was a student of Bruce Lee. She celebrated Norton not simply for his skills but also for the man that he was. Considering the career that Norton had, it's not surprising that, despite never becoming a 'movie star' he certainly built a fan base. One of those was apparently professional wrestler X-Pac, who posted a gif of the actor performing opposite '90s action movie queen Cynthia Rothrock. Many of those remembering Norton mention his wife Judy. James Gunn spoke about how much Norton loved her, and it's clear from her post to his Instagram account that she felt the same way. Richard Norton was a man of many talents, and somebody that a lot of people didn't simply love to work with but loved to be around. His talents will certainly be missed by movie fans, even those who may not realize that they have seen so much of his work. Luckily, we still have all those great '90s Hong Kong action movies and direct-to-video classics that we can enjoy almost anytime.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Richard Norton, Martial Arts Trainer to the Stars, Dies at 75
Richard Norton, a martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who trained A-list stars for action films, has died. He was 75. Norton's wife Judy Green shared news of his death in an Instagram post late Saturday night. 'I am numb and devastated, I have no words I have lost my everything,' she wrote. 'I know there is and will be lots of love and shock that we have lost this incredible human being. The love of my life. I'm using this time to come to terms with my great loss.' In addition to appearing in films like 'Mad Max: Fury Road,' 'The Suicide Squad' and 'ABBA: The Movie' himself, Norton's list of high-profile clientele includes Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Charlie Hunnam, Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron, to name a few. Director James Gunn also paid tribute to the Hollywood legend on Sunday, writing, 'Richard Norton was a wonderfully talented stunt performer, stunt coordinator and actor. He was also a friend. I met Richard as the fight choreographer on 'The Suicide Squad'; he choreographed the Harley escape scene, Peacemaker vs. Rick Flag Jr. and more. He was a tough but sweet Australian dude with a hearty laugh and a million stories about his years making movies.' 'I'd constantly grill him for tales about working on the '90s Hong Kong movies we both loved so much, and he was always happy to oblige. Richard seemed 20 years younger than he was so I was particularly surprised to wake up this morning to hear of his passing,' he continued. 'My love goes out to his entire family, all his friends and co-workers who adored him, and especially his wife Judy, who he always spoke of with even more gusto than when discussing exchanging onscreen blows with Jackie Chan. The film world will be a less vibrant place without him. Rest in Peace, friend.' Norton was born on Jan. 6, 1950, in Australia. He began studying judo as a child and earned his black belt in karate as a teen. He embarked on a career in martial arts soon after, eventually becoming a bodyguard and martial arts trainer in Hollywood. He most recently taught Brazilian jiu-jitsu through his own school. The post Richard Norton, Martial Arts Trainer to the Stars, Dies at 75 appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Richard Norton, Hollywood Martial Arts Trainer to the Stars, Dies at 75
Richard Norton, a martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who trained A-list stars for action films, has died. He was 75. Norton's wife Judy Green shared news of his death in an Instagram post on Sunday. 'I am numb and devastated, I have no words I have lost my everything,' she wrote. 'I know there is, and will be lots of love and shock that we have lost this incredible human being. The love of my life. I'm using this time to come to terms with my great loss.' In addition to appearing in films like 'Mad Max: Fury Road,' 'The Suicide Squad' and 'ABBA: The Movie' himself, Norton's list of high-profile clientele includes Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Charlie Hunnam, Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron, to name a few. Director James Gunn also paid tribute to the Hollywood legend on Sunday, writing, 'Richard Norton was a wonderfully talented stunt performer, stunt coordinator and actor. He was also a friend. I met Richard as the fight choreographer on 'The Suicide Squad'; he choreographed the Harley escape scene, Peacemaker vs. Rick Flag Jr. and more. He was a tough but sweet Australian dude with a hearty laugh and a million stories about his years making movies.' Richard Norton was a wonderfully talented stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and actor. He was also a friend. I met Richard as the fight choreographer on The Suicide Squad; he choreographed the Harley escape scene, Peacemaker vs Rick Flag Jr. and more. He was a tough but sweet… — James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 30, 2025 'I'd constantly grill him for tales about working on the '90s Hong Kong movies we both loved so much, and he was always happy to oblige. Richard seemed 20 years younger than he was so I was particularly surprised to wake up this morning to hear of his passing,' he continued. 'My love goes out to his entire family, all his friends and co-workers who adored him, and especially his wife Judy, who he always spoke of with even more gusto than when discussing exchanging onscreen blows with Jackie Chan. The film world will be a less vibrant place without him. Rest in Peace, friend.' Norton was born on Jan. 6, 1950, in Australia. He began studying judo as a child and earned his black belt in karate as a teen. He embarked on a career in martial arts soon after, eventually becoming a bodyguard and martial arts trainer in Hollywood. He most recently taught Brazilian jiu-jitsu through his own school. The post Richard Norton, Hollywood Martial Arts Trainer to the Stars, Dies at 75 appeared first on TheWrap.
